FAT32 Hard Disk Help

[ranma_st]

Hi:

I have a PC running on Windows 2K, with an IDE 100 HDD of 40G in FAT32. I know that FAT32 gives you problem handling big files.

I am buying a new IDE 100 40G HDD 7200rpm to use it as a slave just for capture.

My question is: What do I have to do in order to get my new HDD to work with NTFS? I don't want to change my first disk, however, I need that the second one will be able to handle big files. Can this be done? How? Any advice regarding this.

Thank you in advance for your help.

THX

8)
Rey

P.S. Excuse me for my English.

[sterno]

Since you already have an OS that supports NTFS, all you do is select NTFS instead of FAT32 as the type when you format the drive. It seems to me that the last time I formatted a drive in Windows 2000 it had selected NTFS by default, I would have had to manually select FAT32 if I needed it.

[docfly]

After installing the new hard drive, right click on My Conputer and select Manage. This will bring up the Computer Management dialog box. Under the storage key select Disk Management. You should now see all your drives in the right pane. Right click on your new drive for options to partition,format,etc. I would put the new drive as a master on its own IDE channel if possible. Aslo, these days with such low hd prices, why settle for a 40gig. 80gig minimum

[ranma_st]

Hi:

Thank you "sterno" and "docfly" for your very valuable help.

I would put the new drive as a master on its own IDE channel if possible. Also, these days with such low hd prices, why settle for a 40gig. 80gig minimum

I hear that before. To use the new drive as a master on its own IDE channel, what do I need? a new card or something?

It is a shame that when I decided to buy the new disk I just have enough for the 40G and I was in a hurry (a friend was going to buy it with his distributor discount). In that time I believed that the 40G will be enough for capture. I just want to capture to convert to (S)VCD, I don't want to keep many files in the disk. However, now I know you are right. Maybe in the short future, I will sell the new disk to buy a new one, depending on how much work I will do with it.

THX

8)
Rey

[cdtplug]

you will have one big prob if you format your secondary harddrive with ntfs and leave the first harddrive as fat32. as fat32 cannot see ntfs. you will need to convert the fat32 to ntfs aswell.

start a command prompt and type convert C: /FS:NTFS /V

this will not alter any of your files or damage your operating system

chris

[ranma_st]

Hi:

Chris. For what I have read, it is supposed that if my OS is W2K, it does not matter if the drive where I am starting the OS is FAT32, because W2K will be able to detect and use the NTFS disk.

If I am not correct please let me know.

Thanks

THX

8)
Rey

[cdtplug]

you can format the 2nd harddrive with ntfs but if the first has the operating system on it and is fat 32 you won't be able to see any data on the ntfs harddrive. its simple to convert the fat32 drive,just use the command i gave above.

chris

[SimonH]

if the first has the operating system on it and is fat 32 you won't be able to see any data on the ntfs harddrive. its simple to convert the fat32 drive

It IS simple to convert the fat32 drive to NTFS, but it isn't necessary. Windows 2000 CAN read NTFS partitions regardless of how the boot partition is formatted.

[Executioner]

I have a Win2k system, with a SCSI boot drive using FAT32, and my encoding drive on IDE channel with NTFS. I'm able to see files from each with no problem.

[kayfam]

Sorry cdtplug but your incorrect, As long as you're running an NT based operating system it can see across any partition be it Fat32 or NTFS.

ranma_st, just go ahead and format that drive straight to NTFS. No changes are required. I was running this same set-up with no problems reading across the drives. One thing though, I didn't notice your computer
details, but if your using an ATI card with MMC7.7 or higher it does have an issue writing to a NTFS partition if the OS resides on a FAT32 partition. MMC 7.6 or below works just fine.

[ranma_st]

Hi:

Thank you kayfam. I do have an ATI AIW 128 pro with MMC 7.1 (trying to find MMC 7.5 ) so I hope everything goes well after I format the drive.


Again, thank you very much to all of you for your help.

THX

8)
Rey